News

LinkedIn Polls

CEO Survey Results: Business Optimism

During Q1, I surveyed my network of owners of small businesses (generally privately owned companies generating $5 - $50 million revenue) to gather insights on sentiment, opportunities, challenges and business conditions. I will be sharing some of this information in hopes that it may provide perspective and generate ideas on how to improve your Company. If you’re interested in evaluating or implementing any projects based on these insights, I am here to help.  

First finding release: Small business owners are optimistic!

CEO Survey Results: "What is the biggest opportunity for your business in 2025?"

Based on responses, unsurprisingly business owners are predominantly focused on growth. 

View the results

CEO Survey Results: Employees

When prompted to identify their biggest opportunities in 2025, some business owners referenced opportunities with their employees. There was a specific focus on reducing employee turnover (to drive business performance improvement) or improving staffing efficiency (to drive labor savings). I concur that these are often major opportunities hidden in plain sight.

View the results

CEO Survey Results: The "Functional" Minimum Wage

It was clear from the survey results that business owners are experiencing a “functional” minimum wage which is significantly above the legal minimum wage in all markets. 

View the results

CEO Survey Results: The Top Threats to your Business

Business owners top concerns were related to either employees or external factors. The top threat to businesses in 2025 is viewed as an inability to hire qualified employees (38% of responses). This is no surprise given the functionally “full employment” environment for workers in America today and the pay required to attract new workers (see prior post on minimum wage). For skilled or specialized workers in particular, many of these professions simply suffer from an imbalance, with higher demand for workers than the number of people receiving training / degrees each year. Retaining the talent you have and then finding the right playbook to recruit are critical.

View the results

CEO Survey Results: Recommended Tools or Business Practices

Business owners are benefitting from a wide variety of technology systems, based on feedback to the prompt: "What business practice, tool or system would you highly recommend to other small business owners?" The vast majority of responses (88%) highly recommended that small business owners utilize technology systems to manage their business, with the range of systems and tools referenced.

View the results

CEO Survey Results: Cyber-security

Many small business owners have experienced some cyber-security attacks. While not in the majority of responses, 25% of businesses experienced cyber-security attacks (e.g. phishing or ransomware) in the past year, with some companies experiencing multiple such events within the year. 

View the results